GAME NOTES: The Troy Trojans will have the dubious task of trying to upend the first place South Alabama Jaguars this afternoon in a Sun Belt Conference tussle at Trojan Arena. The Jaguars have been outstanding this season, and come into this game with wins in 15 of their last 16 matchups. After losing to North Texas on January 31st, the Jags have rebounded with back-to-back wins over UL- Monroe (77-59) and Arkansas State (81-58). With the two wins, the Jags are now an impressive 11-1 in Sun Belt action. As for the Trojans, they have gone in the opposite direction, losing seven of their last nine games, including two in a row. The last time Troy was on the floor the team fell to Denver, 80-66. The setback dropped Troy's conference mark to a pathetic 3-9 on the year. Troy only has 10 wins on the season, but eight have come at the Trojan Arena. The Jaguars have dominated the all-time series against Troy, winning six of the seven meetings, including an 84-73 victory over the Trojans earlier this season.

The Jags are an extremely well balanced team, as the squad is currently averaging a strong 75.0 ppg, while surrendering just 63.7 ppg. South Alabama flexed its offensive and defensive muscles this past Thursday, as the team defeated Arkansas State, 81-58. The Jags limited the Indians to a shooting percentage below 40.0 percent, while at the same posting a solid 50.0 percent effort from the floor. USA also made 10-of-24 three-point attempts and won the battle on the glass, 40-28. Demetric Bennett led the way in the win with 23 points, while Domonic Tilford tallied 21 points for the Jaguars. Brandon Davis also grabbed seven rebounds, and chipped in 11 points as well. Bennett has been the main scoring threat all year and heads into this matchup posting 20.5 ppg. Tilford is contributing 13.5 ppg on the season, while Daon Merritt is netting 11.6 ppg to go along with a team-best 120 assists.

What could be a tremendous problem for the Trojans this afternoon is their horrendous play defensively. Troy heads into this tough matchup, allowing a whopping 80.9 ppg. The defensive struggles for Troy continued in its 14-point loss to Denver. In the setback, the Trojans were bused for 80 points, while the Pioneers shot 54.2 percent from the field and 10-of-22 from behind the arc. Fortunately the team has had success offensively, beginning with O'Darien Bassett, who is averaging 18.1 ppg. Justin Jonas is the only other player netting double-figures for Troy, as the guard is netting 13.7 ppg. In the loss to Denver, Bassett was the main source of production once again, as the guard tallied 20 points. As for Jonus, he connected on 6-of-10 attempts from the field for 16 points.

The Trojans are going to have to miraculously shore up their defensive holes to even stand a chance in this matchup. However, the chances of that happening are remote.